Cutoff and grooving systems with replaceable components are known in the art and are used on lathes and other turning equipment. The use of replaceable components reduces the overall cost of a grooving or cutoff system by allowing replacement of less costly support and clamping members rather than the replacement of the entire tool holder. Some existing systems allow the separate replacement of the support member or the clamping member. Other systems combine these two components into one member for inventory simplification.
Generally speaking, these existing systems although more economical, suffer loss of performance as compared to their integral shank equivalents because each component must be separately fastened and mated to the tool holder and in a way that optimally supports and clamps the cutting insert. This is particularly true of smaller shank height systems where the ability to support components effectively is greatly reduced as overall tool holder height shrinks.
One existing method of mating the replaceable component to the tool holder is by the use of serrations on the two abutting faces of the tool holder and component respectively. This method has proven to be satisfactory when used in conjunction with internal machining tool holders having a “replaceable head”. It has also proven useful for tool holders with proprietary shank configurations that feature a variety of different “heads” which perform a multiplicity of metal removal functions. Existing component style cutoff and grooving systems featuring serrated mating surfaces are adaptations of the above described internal machining tool holders and are bulky and difficult to use on machine tools with turrets that accommodate smaller shank height tooling. They also require a cylindrical center member for the purpose of component location which adds cost and complexity to the system.